This week on Rich Takes — the hot takes segment of the Rich Lessons podcast — Sheena Allen and Sevetri Wilson Taylor break down the biggest headlines impacting business and culture.

The Supreme Court's gutting of the Voting Rights Act has red states redrawing district maps at lightning speed. Louisiana just went 5-1. Tennessee's Black representation in Memphis is gone. But the real question is: will voter outrage actually translate to midterm turnout? We get into why boycotts aren't the answer — and what actually is.

Then we shift to a crisis hiding in plain sight. New research from Harvard, Stanford, and Dartmouth confirms what many parents already feared: America is in a reading recession. Students in grades 3–8 are nearly half a grade level behind pre-pandemic scores across 5,000+ school districts. We talk about COVID learning loss, Chromebooks replacing lockers, and why critical thinking may be a generation's biggest deficit.

On the tech side, the Elon Musk vs. Sam Altman and OpenAI lawsuit is heating up — and we're calling it: a battle of evils. Musk's argument that OpenAI broke its nonprofit mission and its promise to keep AI open and for public benefit is actually hard to ignore. We break down what's really at stake.

And finally — Kevin Hart. The roast. The conspiracy theories. Hart Studios restructuring. And why independent content creators and streamers are doing what Hollywood spent billions trying to do — and winning.

Topics covered:

• Voting Rights Act rollback and gerrymandering in Louisiana and Tennessee
• Midterm elections and Black voter turnout
• Reading recession: kids falling behind in grades 3–8
• COVID learning loss and technology dependency in schools
• Elon Musk vs. OpenAI and Sam Altman lawsuit
• AI, nonprofit mission, and Big Tech accountability
• Kevin Hart roast and conspiracy theories
• Hart Studios restructuring and the rise of independent streamers
• Hollywood vs. content creators and the future of entertainment

Rich Takes drops every Thursday. Subscribe to Rich Lessons on Apple Podcasts and Spotify for new episodes every Tuesday.

What does it really take to become a successful NFL agent?
In this episode of Rich Lessons, Sheena Allen and Sevetri sit down with NFLPA-certified agent and attorney Paul DeRousselle to discuss the business behind professional football, negotiating NFL contracts, athlete representation, sports law, faith, failure, mental health, and building a career from a small town in Louisiana.
Paul shares his journey from Eunice, Louisiana, to becoming a respected NFL agent who represents elite football talent and secures major endorsement deals with brands like Nike, Adidas, State Farm, and Booking.com. He opens up about losing clients early in his career, failing the first version of his dream, rebuilding his confidence, overcoming alcohol addiction, navigating imposter syndrome, and learning how to win in one of the most competitive industries in sports.
This episode is a masterclass on resilience, entrepreneurship, athlete management, sports business, negotiation, and personal growth.
In this episode of Rich Lessons, Paul gets real about:

• Growing up in Eunice, Louisiana, and why he refuses to say he "escaped" his hometown.
• How a Family Matters episode gave him the courage to knock on a hotel room door at a law firm job fair and get hired
• Working as the only Black attorney at a 500-person Dallas law firm and what it taught him about negotiation.
• Why the NFL agent world gave him three years to sign a player, and what happened when time ran out
• Representing Keon Coleman and why the media got it wrong
• Why 30% of the NFL is made up of undrafted free agents, and how he bets on overlooked talent
• His battle with alcohol, the church moment that changed his life, and how he threw every bottle in the dumpster that same day
• How his mom, daughter, and grandfather's legacy keep him accountable
• His new book, Faith, Failure, Football — and why he wrote it before he felt "ready."

📚 Faith, Failure, Football by Paul Paul DeRousselle — Available May 11th

📱 Follow Paul: @theagentpaul
🎙️ Rich Lessons is hosted by Sheena Allen and Sevetri Wilson Taylor — conversations at the intersection of money, entrepreneurship, and real life.
➡️ Subscribe for new episodes every week.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, sports fan, athlete, agent, or someone navigating setbacks while chasing success, this conversation delivers powerful lessons on persistence, identity, and growth.
#NFL #NFLAgent #SportsBusiness #Entrepreneurship #RichLessons #Football #SportsLaw #BusinessPodcast #FaithFailureFootball #AthleteRepresentation

This week on Rich Takes, Sheena and Sevetri break down the headlines making noise in business, tech, and culture.

The Met Gala is back, and so is the controversy. This year's backlash goes beyond the dress code: Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are now the event's biggest backers, and A-listers like Taraji P. Henson and Jennifer Lewis are speaking out. Plus, Beyoncé made her return after 10 years — and Blue Ivy might have outshined everyone.

Spirit Airlines is officially gone. We unpack what the shutdown really means for working-class travelers, how the blocked JetBlue merger played a role, and why the government's decision not to intervene could have long-term consequences for everyday Americans.

GameStop just put in a $56 billion bid to acquire eBay, a company nearly ten times its size. Is it a serious play or a strategic squeeze? We break down the CEO's history and what this move actually signals.

The Great Wealth Transfer is coming: nearly $100 trillion is expected to change hands from Baby Boomers by 2048, and $30 to $40 trillion of that is projected to go directly to women. What does that mean for investing, impact, and economic power?

In AI news, Anthropic is reportedly closing a funding round that would value the company at $900 billion — surpassing OpenAI's $852 billion valuation. Two companies. Both nearly worth a trillion dollars. Let that sink in.

And we close out with New Orleans: Is the city actually running out of time before it goes underwater? Real estate prices say one thing. Climate scientists say another.

Rich Takes drops every Thursday. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Less than 1% of venture capital goes to Black women, but what's really behind that number, and what does it actually take to change it?

In this episode, Sheena Allen and Sevetri Wilson Taylor get candid about the full picture of funding for Black women founders: from what banks and VCs are actually looking for, to why your pitch might be killing your deal before it starts, to why the current funding climate may be the toughest it's ever been.

Both hosts have been on the other side of the table — as founders who've raised over $60M capital and as investors who've written checks — and they're not holding back.

In this episode:

• Why less than 1% isn't just a systemic problem — and what founders can control
• What banks vs. VCs are actually looking for (and where most founders fall short)
• The "audacity gap" in how Black women pitch — and how to close it
• Why proximity to wealth and opportunity is half the battle
• The Fearless Fund lawsuit and what it signals for the present
• Why the current job market is pushing Black women into entrepreneurship at the worst possible time
• Who's still fighting for Black women in the funding space?
• An honest look at what the future holds

This is the conversation happening everywhere right now, and this is the version that actually goes behind the headlines.

Subscribe to Rich Lessons on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube, and leave a review.

The fundraising headlines are misleading founders, and we are breaking it down. In Q1 2026, startups raised a record $297 billion — but $122 billion of that went to a single company: OpenAI. If you have been waiting for the market to turn around, this is the reality check you need before next week's full fundraising episode drops May 5th.

Plus, we get into the headlines shaping culture and business this week:

• The Michael Jackson biopic opens to $217 million globally. Was that a surprise? We break down why international numbers tell a different story.
• Hollywood's biggest names — Ben Stiller, Emma Thompson, Jane Fonda — sign petitions against the Paramount and Warner Bros. merger. One family is about to own CBS, HBO, CNN, BET, Nickelodeon, DC Comics, and more. We call it what it is.
• Keith Lee brings his first food festival to New Orleans and immediately catches controversy over $70 tickets, a random lineup, and a Live Nation partnership that may have cost him the community buy-in he needed most.

Rich Takes drops every week as a quick-hit segment from the Rich Lessons podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube so you never miss an episode.

🎙️ Next week on Rich Lessons: our deep dive on fundraising in 2026—what’s changed, what hasn’t, and what founders need to know now.

From Tim Cook stepping down as CEO of Apple after 15 years to mass layoffs hitting Big Tech, media, and beyond, the future of work is changing faster than most people are ready for.

Starting September 1, 2026, Tim Cook officially steps down as Apple CEO after 15 years, handing the reins to John Ternus, current SVP of Hardware. Was this a long time coming? Is Apple too stagnant to survive another decade without a Steve Jobs-level disruption and innovation? We're getting into all of it.

Then, big tech layoffs are back, and this time they're spreading. Meta is cutting 10% of its workforce (~8,000 jobs). And it's no longer just a Silicon Valley problem. Disney, Sony, Warner Brothers, hospitality, finance, retail — nobody's safe. We also tackle the real question: will AI actually create new jobs, or is universal basic income closer than we want to admit?

And Anthropic is out here testing limits — literally. Claude Design is making waves, Claude Code may be getting pulled from the $20/month Pro plan, and we're breaking down what that means for everyday builders and creators trying to keep up without breaking the bank.

Plus: the gatekeeping debate is back, sparked by designer Law Roach — and we're not holding back.

Topics covered:

• Tim Cook steps down + who's taking over Apple
• Big tech layoffs spreading beyond Silicon Valley
• AI, job replacement & the universal basic income conversation
• Claude Design, Claude Code & Anthropic's pricing moves
• Gatekeeping in business: good or bad?

🎙️ New episodes of Rich Lessons drop every Tuesday. Rich Takes drops every Thursday.

📍 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify & YouTube — search Rich Lessons

In this episode of Rich Lessons, we sit down with powerhouse executive Deb Grant—GE's first Black female corporate officer, former president of the GE Foundation (overseeing a $130M budget), board director, and CEO of Corporate Playbook—to decode what actually moves the needle and what it really takes to succeed in corporate America and beyond—and it's not just “working harder.”

From becoming GE’s first Black female corporate officer to advising top executives and sitting on public boards, Deb shares the unfiltered truth about corporate power, board access, and strategic visibility that nobody puts in a LinkedIn post.

We dive into:
• Why hard work alone won’t get you promoted
• The critical difference between mentors vs. sponsors (and why it changes everything)
• How to get on corporate boards and build real influence
• The importance of visibility, relationships, and executive presence
• How Black women can navigate corporate spaces, funding gaps, and leadership barriers
• The unwritten rules of career growth no one teaches you

This conversation is a masterclass for entrepreneurs, professionals, and anyone looking to strategically level up their career.

Key takeaway: It’s not just who you know. It’s who speaks your name in the room.

Emma Grede said working from home is hurting women's careers, and Sheena and Sevetri have thoughts.

This week on Rich Takes, we break down why we mostly agree, who works from home actually works for, and the hard truth that if you're not exceptional and you're not an expert, the person showing up in the office is getting the promotion, the relationship, and the job security when layoffs hit.

Plus, the WNBA Draft had us glued to our screens. Azzi Fudd goes first overall, reunites with Paige Bueckers, South Carolina’s Raven Johnson finally gets her flowers, and UCLA makes history. Women's basketball is in a completely different era, and we are here for it.

And in a surprising shift, some investors are starting to move away from AI-first companies and back toward human-centered businesses. What does that mean for founders building right now? We get into it.

Don't miss our new Rich Lessons episode dropping April 21st, all about corporate boards through the lens of an incredible Black woman.

And if you haven't checked out last week's vibe coding episode yet, go listen now.

Topics: Emma Grede | Work From Home | Remote Work | Office Culture | Layoffs | Job Market | WNBA Draft | Azzi Fudd | Paige Bueckers | Raven Johnson | UCLA | AI Investing | Entrepreneurship | Women in Business